Estancia Harberton was established in 1886, when the missionary pioneer Thomas Bridges (1842-1898) resigned from the Anglican mission at

Ushuaia Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital city, capital of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of 82,615 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, U ...

. The

estancia An estancia or estância is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias are located in the southern South American grasslands of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia, while the ''pampas'' have historically bee ...

was named for

Harberton Harberton is a village, civil parish and former manor 3 miles south west of Totnes, in the South Hams District of Devon, England. The parish includes the village of Harbertonford situated on the main A381 road. In the 2001 census the parish ...

, the home of his wife, Mary Ann Varder (1842-1922), in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England. Bridges was the author of a dictionary of the Yámana or

Yaghan language Yahgan or Yagán (also spelled Yaghan, Jagan, Iakan, and also known as Yámana, Háusi Kúta, or Yágankuta) is an extinct language that is one of the indigenous languages of Tierra del Fuego, spoken by the Yahgan people. It is regarded as a la ...

, and their son

Lucas Bridges Esteban Lucas Bridges was an Anglo-Argentine author, explorer, and rancher. After fighting for the British during the First World War, he married and moved with his wife to South Africa, where they developed a ranch with her brother. Bridges ...

(1874-1949) wrote ''The Uttermost Part of the Earth'' about his boyhood, the

Yahgan people The Yahgan (also called Yagán, Yaghan, Yámana, Yamana, or Tequenica) are a group of Indigenous peoples in the Southern Cone of South America. Their traditional territory includes the islands south of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, extending ...

, and the family's adventures in getting the dictionary published in Europe. Harberton's present manager and part-owner, Tommy Goodall (born 1933), is Thomas Bridges's 4th-great grandson. Though the Bridges name has been daughtered out, there is a Thomas in every generation. He managed the estancia with his wife, American biologist Rae Natalie Prosser de Goodall, until her death in 2015. He continues to manage the estancia with help from their daughter and her children. The principal enterprise in the 21st century is tourism. Visitors can tour the grounds, outbuildings, gardens, cemetery, and a botanical garden with replica Yahgan huts. Nearby is the Museo Acatushún de Aves y Mamíferos Marinos Australes of the natural history of the region's marine mammals and birds. It is also possible to visit Magellanic penguin rookeries at Isla Martillo not far away. Overnight guests can rent a room in the remodeled cookhouse or, with permission, camp on the grounds. Meals are available at the dining room and shop in the main complex of buildings. The season runs from October to April. There are regular bus and van tours from

, 85 km to the west via paved and gravel roads. To the east, Estancia Harberton is connected to Estancia Moat by road.

Notes

External links

Estancia Harberton Home Page

{{TierradelFuegoAR-geo-stub 1886 establishments in Argentina Buildings and structures in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina Ranches in Argentina Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego Tourist attractions in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina Anglican mission in Tierra del Fuego Populated places established in 1886